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C.A.T. Inc.
Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec
http://www.cat.ca
Trucking, logistics and warehousing services
Primary markets: Canada, U.S, Mexico
Number of employees: 500
Daniel Goyette, president
dgoyette@cat.ca, 1-800-363-5313 (366)

Cleanly riding the export boom

Excluding energy, Canadian exports to the US, increased considerably during the past year, as has demand for transportation services to ship merchandise there. C.A.T. Inc., which provides truckload hauling, logistics and warehousing storage, is only too happy to help.

Led by Daniel Goyette, its CEO, who claims to have been “born in a truck and raised in a truck,” the company maintains a steady 20 percent annual growth rate, through innovation and hard work. Much of C.A.T.’s success stems from its ability to attract and motivate its drivers, no easy task given the demands of the profession.

The company also generates operating efficiencies by running a modern fleet, through driver training, enforcing a “no-idle” policy and caps that limit vehicle speeds to a fuel-efficient 100 kilometers per hour. C.A.T.’s partnership program, which enables small and medium-sized trucking companies to operate under the C.A.T. banner and to leverage its broad customer base and back-office operations, has also contributed.

Goyette is also a big believer in advancing environmental best practices, particularly if there is a good business case for it. The company is currently implementing a plan to reduce its environmental footprint by 17 percent. In October 2014, C.A.T. announced a deal with Ryder to lease 100 new highway haulers, which are fueled by compressed natural gas, an eco-friendly technology. Finalizing a comprehensive distribution network for the fuel, made up of filling stations located no more than 600 miles apart, will be a major priority during the coming year. The longer term goal is for a third of the company’s fleet to be converted to CNG power.

As for the future, Goyette is gradually transferring operational responsibility for C.A.T. Inc. to his daughters Annie, 36, and Karine, 34, both of whom are currently vice-presidents, a process he says “can’t happen soon enough,” as this will enable him to concentrate on other interests.

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Peter Diekmeyer Communications Inc.